My Life Before Govanhill: Ghaleb and Mariela
In our regular feature ‘My Life Before Govanhill’ we find out from the diverse community of Govanhill what they got up to before settling around Victoria Road. In this edition, we meet husband and wife, Ghaleb and Mariela.
Interview and photo by Marzanna Antoniak
Where do you come from?
Ghaleb: I was born in Palestine, in the West Bank in 1957. I lived in the beautiful city of Tulkarem, where the first agriculture institute of the Middle East was established. My grandfather had an olive grove with ancient trees some more than 2000 years old. My family had plenty of land, too. We were 11 brothers and sisters. I was around nine when the 1967 occupation came, and we moved to Jordan. My dad worked in Kuwait, and we thought we’d never see each other again, as was the case for many split families who weren’t allowed to reunite. I still have a family in the West Bank.
Mariela: I was born in Bulgaria, in the town of Shumen. I have memories of a pleasant quiet childhood in the countryside where I lived with my grandparents till I was about six or seven. On our land, we grew vegetables and we’d pickle them for winter as it’s a Bulgarian tradition.
What about your education?
M: When I finished school, I went to Sofia, and studied biology. That’s where I met my husband.
G: After my law studies in Jordan, I worked at the Jordan International Bank. I later received a scholarship to study for a master’s in law in Sofia, where I met my wonderful wife. We have three lovely daughters born in three different countries. The first one was born in Bulgaria. Then, we moved to Jordan for five years where Mariela worked at a pharmaceutical lab. Then, we relocated to Italy and our second daughter was born in Milan. Our third daughter was born in Bradford where we lived for 13 years before relocating to Scotland. The good thing about moving around is that it gives you a rich experience and good memories. You know that wherever you go you can understand and accept every culture. Because of that, we love everybody. No matter the colour, culture, religion, whether they are rich or poor.
You were brought up with two different mother tongues and you have lived in different countries. What language do you use to communicate at home?
Mariela: As a family, we communicate in a mix of Bulgarian, Arabic and English. I’d say Bulgarian is the strongest. However, because they go to school where English is the common language our daughters speak more English now. It’s easy to lose their native languages this way, that’s why we try to ensure they have a strong basis in Bulgarian and Arabic.
What made you come to Scotland?
Mariela: In 2021, we came to visit our Bulgarian friends in Dundee. It was a beautiful summer and we were so impressed. Ghaleb fell in love with Scottish nature, and so he started looking for a job here. He worked for the Human Relief Foundation, a charity organisation providing humanitarian assistance to those affected by natural disasters, armed conflicts, and poverty across the world. He mentioned at work that he’d like to relocate and after about six months an opportunity materialised and we were offered to move to Glasgow as a family.
What do you do for work?
Ghaleb: We came to Glasgow to manage a charity shop on Pollokshaws Road. Finding a place to live was hard as private rent is very expensive. After a while, we realised it would be good to open another shop in a busier area, and we’ve recently opened one on Victoria Road.
Mariela: Charity shops are beneficial for the whole community. People have things they don't need, sometimes brand new, and they can give them to charity for others to make use of them. This enables the Human Relief Foundation to generate profit which is used to support vulnerable people around the world. We run healthcare projects, refugee and orphan care as well as water and food programmes. People from countries like Palestine, Lebanon, Myanmar, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Ghana, Bangladesh and others all benefit.
Ghaleb: Working at a charity shop isn’t for everyone. It requires a lot of effort and it doesn’t bring you great earnings. You must believe in it and do it from your heart. Although volunteering can be a rewarding experience, it’s not easy to find volunteers who’d help with sorting the items, disinfecting them, cleaning and other tasks. I’ve also noticed that people used to give away much better quality clothes. These days, as many people struggle to make ends meet, they tend to keep their clothes for much longer, making the job harder.
Mariela: Our dream is to help as many people as we can because so many people need help. We believe it was written for us to come here and work for this good cause, to make others’ lives easier. And we put all our efforts into making this happen.
Throughout June, we are taking part in the 'No News is Bad News’ campaign – which is founded on the belief that a well-informed community is more able to act together to shape its own future, that local news is fundamental to a healthy democratic society and invaluable in helping to create strong communities. As part of this campaign, any money we raise for the project during June will be doubled by an Indie News Fund.